Hassan Sayyad Khodaei
Hassan Sayyad Khodaei | |
|---|---|
| Native name | حسن صیاد خدایی |
| Nickname(s) | Hassan Khodaei |
| Born | 1972 Bashmaq, Iran |
| Died | 22 May 2022 (aged 49–50) Tehran, Iran |
| Cause of death | Gunshot wounds |
| Allegiance | Iran |
| Branch | Revolutionary Guards Quds Force Unit 840 |
| Years of service | 1987–2022 |
| Rank | Colonel |
Hassan Sayyad Khodaei (Persian: حسن صیاد خدایی, 1972 – May 22, 2022) was an Iranian military officer who served in the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC). He was reportedly the deputy commander of Unit 840, a clandestine division tasked with orchestrating assassinations, kidnappings, and other covert activities targeting Iranian dissidents, Israeli interests, and Western figures across various regions, including the Middle East, Europe, and Latin America.
Serving as a Holy Shrine Defender, he was assassinated on 22 May 2022 by motorcycle-riding gunmen in front of his home. Iran has blamed the assassination on "global arrogance," a term used to refer to the United States and its allies, such as Israel. According to the Wall Street Journal, the New York Times and other sources citing people familiar with the matter, Khodaei planned kidnappings and killings for an arm of the IRGC known as Quds Force Unit 840, including failed plots to kill an Israeli diplomat, an American general and a French intellectual.